News from our union 4855 Seminole Drive San Diego, CA 92115 800-621-5016 udwa.org facebook.com/UDW twitter.com/UDWA
Fall 2017
HAPPY PROVIDER APPRECIATION MONTH!
To learn about special events in your area, call your local office or visit www.udwa.org
Update: Threats to IHSS funding continue UDW caregivers are still fighting cuts to Medicaid and IHSS This year, we have faced numerous threats to our health care at the federal level. All of these threats have included drastic cuts to Medicaid, which funds over half of the IHSS program our clients depend on. That’s why UDW has fought back against every attempt to repeal health care and cut Medicaid. Our members have joined working people across the country, making thousands of calls, writing letters, and turning out to protests and town hall meetings to demand our representatives protect our care.
IHSS HOURS Is your client getting enough?
But the threats keep coming—and will keep coming. The latest comes with a federal budget proposal to transfer trillions of dollars from health care and other vital social services to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. As IHSS faces cuts to funding at the federal level, we will also be looking for state-based solutions to secure long-term IHSS funding. UDW is committed to protecting, improving, and expanding IHSS, and we will never stop fighting to ensure that this program is here for us and our clients for years to come. Stay updated on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/UDW
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
IHSS TIMESHEETS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
UPDATE ON THREATS TO MEDICAID AND IHSS
Does your client need
MORE IHSS HOURS? Y
our client’s monthly IHSS hours are based on a social worker’s assessment of the kinds of care they need and guidelines on how long this care should take. But this assessment may not reflect all the work you do for your client, or all the hours of care they truly need. To find out if your client is eligible for more hours, you first need to record all the hours you work for them. Track everything you’re doing down to the minute, from tying shoes to changing bed linens. Then, fill out the worksheet, provided by Disability Rights California, which will help you calculate if your client is receiving all the hours of care they need.
number of hours—at least 195 for nonseverely impaired individuals or 283 for severely impaired individuals. Your client may be eligible for protective supervision if they: • Show severe mental impairment, poor judgement, confusion or bad memory • Your client wanders or may get hurt if left home alone • You client must be supervised 24 hours a day or dangerous behaviors will occur
• The service requires training and judgment to perform
Filing an appeal for more hours If you believe your client needs more hours of care, or if you think they may be eligible for protective supervision or IHSS paramedical services, you may file a request at any time. If you have received a Notice of Action that hours are being cut or terminated, you must request a hearing within 10 business days to keep your benefits during the appeal process. If you IHSS Paramedical Services miss the deadline, you still have 90 days Paramedical services are prescribed to file an appeal but will lose your benefits by a doctor and require some training during the process. Here’s how you can to perform, like injections, colostomy appeal for more hours: irrigation, catheter care, and tube feeding. 1 Request an appeal. Fill out the back of For the worksheet to help Make sure you ask for enough time to the Notice of Action form or send a letter complete these tasks, from preparation track your hours, go to: to: to clean up. The county can’t cut service IHSS Fair Hearing www.bit.ly/HoursCalculator hours ordered by a doctor. State Hearings Division Your client may be eligible for IHSS Protective Supervision Department of Social Services paramedical service hours if: 744 P Street, Mail Stop 9-17-37 Protection supervision is assessed when a • They can’t perform the service at all Sacramento, CA 95814 client is a possible harm to him or herself • The service is necessary to maintain their Be sure to say that you want a fair when at home. People eligible for protective health hearing because you believe your client supervision are always given the maximum
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5
has not been given enough hours, and give your client’s name and state identification number. You can also call 1-800-743-8525 to request a hearing. Get everything in writing. You’ll need written documentation from your client’s doctor stating their needs and the type of care they require. If your client needs protective supervision or paramedical services, make sure that is in the documentation. Prepare for your hearing date. If your appeal requires a hearing, prepare the points you plan to make ahead of time, and make sure all of your documents are in order. Ask for a copy of the original assessment and the county’s position statement. Attend the hearing. At the hearing, the county will go first to say why hours were cut or why your client shouldn’t receive more hours. They will give lots of evidence. The most important thing for you and your client to do is stick to your explanations of why your client needs more hours. Be prepared to show all the documents you prepared. Get a decision. Any change in hours from the appeals process will be effective as soon as the county gets the decision from the appeal.
UDW caregivers can help! Do you need help with this process? You are not alone, and your fellow caregivers are here to help! Call your local UDW office to get personalized help, or find out when an advocacy workshop is happening near you. Our advocacy workshops can help you prepare for your client’s annual assessment, apply to have his or her Functional Index Score reassessed, prepare for unannounced home visits, understand a Notice of Action, and more. We can protect our clients’ care together!
Electronic Timesheets Roll Out Statewide Dear UDW members, The electronic timesheet option UDW members fought for is now a reality and making a positive impact on the lives of caregivers across the state. Though the program is still new and some IHSS providers are more comfortable sticking with the paper timesheet option, many of our members are reporting an easy online sign up process, smooth electronic timesheet filing and—best of all—faster paychecks. UDW members pushed for the electronic option because the paper system is riddled with problems that often lead to paycheck delays. And many of us wanted the option to file our timesheets without having to pay money for stamps or go to the post office. The electronic option also allows us to check timesheet and payment
statuses online, check timesheet history for the last three months, and request supplemental timesheets. Even better: the system won’t let you file a timesheet with errors, which means fewer timesheet violations! Electronic timesheets were first available in Riverside County in June and availability rolled out statewide over the summer and fall. Whether or not you choose to use electronic timesheets, winning this option was a huge victory for UDW’s members. Our push for online timesheets helped IHSS providers across the state—and modernized the program along the way. In solidarity, For more about online timesheets, visit www.udwa.org/onlinetimesheets.
Editha Adams, UDW President
“We won 195 more hours for my son – and $21,000 ” My son Alexis was born with severe Down Syndrome, and I have been his care provider for the past 12 years. When we first applied for IHSS, Alexis was only awarded 26 hours per month, even though he requires round-the-clock care. So I contacted our union’s advocacy council and the caregivers there helped me win more hours for my son. With their help, I got proper documentation from my doctor and, after helping me with some issues we were having with our social worker, we applied for an appeal. We not only won a total of 221 hours for my son, but I received a check for $21,000—the total amount of backpay I was owed for the period where Alexis was only receiving 26 hours per month. Now, our family doesn’t have to worry about paying our bills. We used to be on food stamps, and now we have everything we need to survive—and Alexis continues to receive the quality care he needs from the person who knows his needs best. We are so thankful to our union and the caregivers who helped us win more hours of care for Alexis.
Orange County provider Amadelia Cuevas with her son Alexis.
Does your client need
MORE IHSS HOURS? Y
our client’s monthly IHSS hours are based on a social worker’s assessment of the kinds of care they need and guidelines on how long this care should take. But this assessment may not reflect all the work you do for your client, or all the hours of care they truly need. To find out if your client is eligible for more hours, you first need to record all the hours you work for them. Track everything you’re doing down to the minute, from tying shoes to changing bed linens. Then, fill out the worksheet, provided by Disability Rights California, which will help you calculate if your client is receiving all the hours of care they need.
number of hours—at least 195 for nonseverely impaired individuals or 283 for severely impaired individuals. Your client may be eligible for protective supervision if they: • Show severe mental impairment, poor judgement, confusion or bad memory • Your client wanders or may get hurt if left home alone • You client must be supervised 24 hours a day or dangerous behaviors will occur
• The service requires training and judgment to perform
Filing an appeal for more hours If you believe your client needs more hours of care, or if you think they may be eligible for protective supervision or IHSS paramedical services, you may file a request at any time. If you have received a Notice of Action that hours are being cut or terminated, you must request a hearing within 10 business days to keep your benefits during the appeal process. If you IHSS Paramedical Services miss the deadline, you still have 90 days Paramedical services are prescribed to file an appeal but will lose your benefits by a doctor and require some training during the process. Here’s how you can to perform, like injections, colostomy appeal for more hours: irrigation, catheter care, and tube feeding. 1 Request an appeal. Fill out the back of For the worksheet to help Make sure you ask for enough time to the Notice of Action form or send a letter complete these tasks, from preparation track your hours, go to: to: to clean up. The county can’t cut service IHSS Fair Hearing www.bit.ly/HoursCalculator hours ordered by a doctor. State Hearings Division Your client may be eligible for IHSS Protective Supervision Department of Social Services paramedical service hours if: 744 P Street, Mail Stop 9-17-37 Protection supervision is assessed when a • They can’t perform the service at all Sacramento, CA 95814 client is a possible harm to him or herself • The service is necessary to maintain their Be sure to say that you want a fair when at home. People eligible for protective health hearing because you believe your client supervision are always given the maximum
2
3
4
5
has not been given enough hours, and give your client’s name and state identification number. You can also call 1-800-743-8525 to request a hearing. Get everything in writing. You’ll need written documentation from your client’s doctor stating their needs and the type of care they require. If your client needs protective supervision or paramedical services, make sure that is in the documentation. Prepare for your hearing date. If your appeal requires a hearing, prepare the points you plan to make ahead of time, and make sure all of your documents are in order. Ask for a copy of the original assessment and the county’s position statement. Attend the hearing. At the hearing, the county will go first to say why hours were cut or why your client shouldn’t receive more hours. They will give lots of evidence. The most important thing for you and your client to do is stick to your explanations of why your client needs more hours. Be prepared to show all the documents you prepared. Get a decision. Any change in hours from the appeals process will be effective as soon as the county gets the decision from the appeal.
UDW caregivers can help! Do you need help with this process? You are not alone, and your fellow caregivers are here to help! Call your local UDW office to get personalized help, or find out when an advocacy workshop is happening near you. Our advocacy workshops can help you prepare for your client’s annual assessment, apply to have his or her Functional Index Score reassessed, prepare for unannounced home visits, understand a Notice of Action, and more. We can protect our clients’ care together!
Electronic Timesheets Roll Out Statewide Dear UDW members, The electronic timesheet option UDW members fought for is now a reality and making a positive impact on the lives of caregivers across the state. Though the program is still new and some IHSS providers are more comfortable sticking with the paper timesheet option, many of our members are reporting an easy online sign up process, smooth electronic timesheet filing and—best of all—faster paychecks. UDW members pushed for the electronic option because the paper system is riddled with problems that often lead to paycheck delays. And many of us wanted the option to file our timesheets without having to pay money for stamps or go to the post office. The electronic option also allows us to check timesheet and payment
statuses online, check timesheet history for the last three months, and request supplemental timesheets. Even better: the system won’t let you file a timesheet with errors, which means fewer timesheet violations! Electronic timesheets were first available in Riverside County in June and availability rolled out statewide over the summer and fall. Whether or not you choose to use electronic timesheets, winning this option was a huge victory for UDW’s members. Our push for online timesheets helped IHSS providers across the state—and modernized the program along the way. In solidarity, For more about online timesheets, visit www.udwa.org/onlinetimesheets.
Editha Adams, UDW President
“We won 195 more hours for my son – and $21,000 ” My son Alexis was born with severe Down Syndrome, and I have been his care provider for the past 12 years. When we first applied for IHSS, Alexis was only awarded 26 hours per month, even though he requires round-the-clock care. So I contacted our union’s advocacy council and the caregivers there helped me win more hours for my son. With their help, I got proper documentation from my doctor and, after helping me with some issues we were having with our social worker, we applied for an appeal. We not only won a total of 221 hours for my son, but I received a check for $21,000—the total amount of backpay I was owed for the period where Alexis was only receiving 26 hours per month. Now, our family doesn’t have to worry about paying our bills. We used to be on food stamps, and now we have everything we need to survive—and Alexis continues to receive the quality care he needs from the person who knows his needs best. We are so thankful to our union and the caregivers who helped us win more hours of care for Alexis.
Orange County provider Amadelia Cuevas with her son Alexis.
News from our union 4855 Seminole Drive San Diego, CA 92115 800-621-5016 udwa.org facebook.com/UDW twitter.com/UDWA
Fall 2017
HAPPY PROVIDER APPRECIATION MONTH!
To learn about special events in your area, call your local office or visit www.udwa.org
Update: Threats to IHSS funding continue UDW caregivers are still fighting cuts to Medicaid and IHSS This year, we have faced numerous threats to our health care at the federal level. All of these threats have included drastic cuts to Medicaid, which funds over half of the IHSS program our clients depend on. That’s why UDW has fought back against every attempt to repeal health care and cut Medicaid. Our members have joined working people across the country, making thousands of calls, writing letters, and turning out to protests and town hall meetings to demand our representatives protect our care.
IHSS HOURS Is your client getting enough?
But the threats keep coming—and will keep coming. The latest comes with a federal budget proposal to transfer trillions of dollars from health care and other vital social services to fund tax cuts for the wealthy. As IHSS faces cuts to funding at the federal level, we will also be looking for state-based solutions to secure long-term IHSS funding. UDW is committed to protecting, improving, and expanding IHSS, and we will never stop fighting to ensure that this program is here for us and our clients for years to come. Stay updated on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/UDW
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
IHSS TIMESHEETS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE
UPDATE ON THREATS TO MEDICAID AND IHSS